Category — Side Dishes

[Saturday Sides is a weekly feature I run to help you combat the side dish blahs. Check here Saturdays to see what’s new and different you can add to your dinner table. Or, you can subscribe here so that you never miss a Saturday Sides Recipe.]

As repayment for the non-posting of a Saturday Side for too many weeks I will now give you my numero uno favorite green bean recipe.

What it’s not:

It’s not very healthy.

It’s not pork free.

It’s not super-duper fast.

It’s not incredibly simple.

What it is:

It’s knock-your-panties-off good.

It’s gorgeous.

It’s something you will make for company.

It’s something you should print multiple copies of for your friends because I promise they’ll be asking. On second thought, just write “www.angiespangies.com” down on a piece of paper. It saves time. That way, you can make some more green beans.

O.k. here’s a peek . . .

These are AMAZING! This is the perfect combination of flavors, sort of like a BLT, without the “L” and with a “GB” for green beans . . . so a “BGBT”, um, well, that doesn’t really work, does it? Well, you get the picture. Bacon, green beans, and tomatoes mix together in this slightly crunchy and delicious side to make your taste buds scream - “FEED ME SEYMOUR”.

Please don’t even try to take my word for it, just go make some. Please.

Green Bean Saute with Tomatoes

Adapted from Recipezaar

3 strips bacon, cut into pieces
1 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 pint halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

After trimming the green beans, wash thoroughly and steam over one inch of boiling water for 5-6 minutes.  To learn the vegetable steaming processing read about steaming broccoli in the Citrus Broccoli recipe.   Steam the green beans just until the color turns bright green. If you overcook the green beans, the color with become washed out and dull, and they will become mushy.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Did you know that bacon crumbles are much easier to make if you cut the bacon before you cut it? By cutting the bacon into little pieces the bacon cooks faster and you don’t have to try and cut hot, greasy bacon. To be a real kitchen diva, use scissors to cut the bacon. Ingenious!

Look, aren’t they pretty? Ohhh, I think I just felt my cholesterol climb while looking at these little tidbits of heaven. You could use turkey bacon, I suppose. I didn’t do that.

To the bacon drippings, add green beans and saute for 10 minutes. If you prefer your green beans a little on the crunchy side, you can saute them less time. Either way, watch your green beans carefully, and use a moderate heat level, because they can scorch and that’s not tasty at all.

Add the garlic; cook 2 minutes. Don’t let it burn! Burnt garlic is bitter and also not tasty.

Stir in tomatoes, bacon, salt, and pepper. Heat through. I just want you to look at these tomatoes. Some of us, here in the United States, have been without tomatoes more than we choose to be over the last couple of weeks. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all.

Without the pictures:

Green Bean Saute with Tomatoes

3 strips bacon, cut into pieces
1 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 pint halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

After trimming the green beans, wash thoroughly and steam over one inch of boiling water for 5-6 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels.

To bacon drippings, add green beans and saute for 10 minutes.

Add the garlic; cook 2 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, bacon, salt, and pepper. Heat through.

I know, I know. It’s been too long since I’ve had a weekday post, again. But, I finally have made it through the kids’ last two weeks of school. Any parent with a school aged-child knows what I am talking about: 4 different field trips, overdue library books to round up, cookies to bake for class parties (ohh, did you say cookies?), teacher thank-you gifts, bookbags overflowing with papers from a cleaned out desk, and bittersweet moments of watching your baby grow up. Yes, all this, times THREE children makes a blogger too busy. Thankfully, I’ve made it through all of this. And now begins. Summer. Vacation. I have no idea how I will fit in blogging this summer, but I do hope that it is easier to find the time rather than harder. I guess we will see.

Some of you may remember my very first post, where I gave up my favorite biscuit recipe. Well. I’ll be honest, I’ve been tweaking my biscuit recipe over the last couple of months because sometimes they just tasted a little “blah.” I’ve finally gotten the biscuit recipe to the point where I seriously salivate every time I say the word “biscuit”. And I want to share the new improved version. These are a little more work, but oh-so-worth it when you are in the mood for the best damn biscuit ev-ah.

This recipe comes from a hodge podge of ideas. It started with Orangette, and then I read an article about The Flying Biscuit Cafe (which I WILL visit soon), and from there I just started mish-mashing until I got what I was looking for. Let me know what you think.

Enough already, here you go.

The Better Biscuit

4 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter
2 cups buttermilk (approximately)
2 tablespoons cream
1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt.

Use a pastry blender, fork, or fingers to cut in cold butter. I like to use my fingers and sort of “rub” the butter into the flour. I leave some big bits and some little bits.

Pour in buttermilk and mix just until everything is very moist. The dough should not be liquid, but it will be very wet. You can add a bit more buttermilk if necessary, or a bit less.

Generously sprinkle flour on work area and turn wet dough out. This dough is very difficult to work with, because it is so wet. (That’s what she said! HA! Sorry, I just couldn’t stand it one more minute.) Just flour your hands and the board (or counter) very well and be prepared to get messy! (That’s what she Er, uh, never mind.)

Flour hands and gently pat and press dough into a 1 inch thick circle. The goal here is to work with the dough as little as possible. This will keep them from being tough or chewy.

Use a biscuit cutter or an upside down glass to cut into rounds. You can re-work the scrap dough once to make more biscuits. Don’t work it multiple times or the dough will become overworked and chewy. Oh, and look, I bought a biscuit cutter! I’m seriously moving up in the world. I found this bad boy, along with a smaller cutter and a bigger cutter (as a set), for a dollar. I don’t feel too bad about buying a biscuit cutter (when a glass works just as well) when I only spent a dollar. Although, just 84 more dollars with the 1 dollar I spent on that biscuit cutter and I would have had enough for that hot little summer purse I’ve been eyeballing. *Sigh* Yes, well, getting back to the biscuits now.

Use a spatula to move the biscuits to a baking sheet or stone.

Now, because these aren’t nearly bad enough for our hips, arteries, or complexion; brush a small amount of cream on the top of each biscuit and sprinkle the top with sugar. This is the super yummy part.

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

Without pictures:

The Better Biscuit

4 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter
2 cups buttermilk (approximately)
2 tablespoons cream
1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
Use a pastry blender, fork, or fingers to cut in cold butter.
Pour in buttermilk and mix just until everything is very moist. The dough should not be liquid, but it will be very wet. You can add a bit more butter milk if necessary, or a bit less.
Generously sprinkle flour on work area and turn wet dough out. Flour hands and gently pat and press dough into a 1 inch thick circle.
Use a biscuit cutter or an upside down glass to cut into rounds. You can re-work the scrap dough once to make more biscuits.
Use a spatula to move the biscuits to a baking sheet or stone.
Brush a small amount of cream on the top of each biscuit and sprinkle the top with sugar.
Bake at 450 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

I know that it was not very nice of me to leave you all hanging on Saturday. No recipe, no explanation, no nothin’. Well. Here it is. The fact is; I was sad last week. *sigh* You know what I mean? The kind of sad where you just hear a stupid gooey song on the radio and WHAM! you’re crying. No reason, really. Just s-a-d. Well, that was Angie Pangie last week.  Usually I’m not very “girl-like”, being that I don’t typically cry about much of anything, so it was totally annoying to me.

And when I get annoyed, I often get mean. And spiteful. And I think dumb things like “I don’t like blogging anyhow, who cares if I post? Certainly not me.” Even more than dumb, that’s just untrue. And, no matter what I say, and even though I wasn’t in the mood to blog about broccoli, I still like to blog. I just didn’t have it in me last week to blog, that’s all.

My friend Holli tried to cheer me up by taking me out for a romp at the kitchen store. We walked around and goofed off and made fun of people for paying $17 for a bowl to hold garbage. Because that is just not right people.  I love my friend Holli, and I had a great time, but when I got home . . . I was still sad.

So, I didn’t post.  But, as it turns out, I’ve got the greatest hubby in the whole wide world.  He always picks up the pieces for me and prods me to muddle through the best I can when I’m feeling sad, or mean, or just not much like myself. And when all else fails, he buys me stuff to make me happy, which nearly always works. At the end of last week he bought me a car. A great big giant red car. And, honestly? I’m feeling much better now. Funny how that works, huh?

So, now that I’m feeling better and I’m hauling the produce for the Saturday Sides in a bright red shiny car I’m here to make it up to you that I was a super schmuck non-poster last weekend. Oh, and don’t ever, ever doubt that I’m an only child, o.k.? I like presents. Now that I’m older, I just like bigger, more expensive presents.

So I picked a Saturday Side (yes, I know it’s not Saturday now) that was so completely easy to make, yet astoundingly delicious, that I bet you’ll be having it two or three times a month after you try it. Hey, don’t doubt me . . . just trust me.

Citrus Broccoli
Adapted from Everyday Food

1 1/2 pounds of trimmed broccoli florets
1/2 fresh lime
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

You’ll need a steamer basket to make this broccoli.  These only cost a couple of dollars at the discount stores and are well worth the price for the tasty steamed veggies they turn out.

Place one inch of water in a large saucepan and place your steamer basket inside. 

Bring the water to a full boil, add the broccoli and cover.

Steam until tender, but not mushy - about 7 minutes.  Do not allow your broccoli to cook until it looks washed-out” or very pale.  It should be vibrant and very green.  You don’t want it to be undercooked either, so watch it closely.  You can use the sharp end of a knife to see how “soft” the broccoli has gotten.

Place broccoli in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  And for heaven’s sake, don’t skip this step!  You can cut back, if you must, on the salt, but don’t omit it.  Remember, salt is a flavor enhancer - it gives a much needed boost to the natural flavor of broccoli.  Well, if you do skip this step (and even though I said don’t, I know some of you will because you think salt is unhealthy, which is only true if you use way too much) don’t come whining to me about how this broccoli tastes yucky, and bland, and boring.  Add salt.  Problem solved.

Squeeze the lime juice over the broccoli and add some of the lime pulp, if desired.  I like to use a fork to get in there and break apart the pulp and really get the juice out.  Now.  A certain someone whose name I will not mention (Angie Pangie) thought that if half a lime was good with broccoli that a whole lime with broccoli would be better.

This is how that turned out.

Holli says “Stick to half a lime.”

Mix well, and serve hot.

Without pictures:

Citrus Broccoli
Adapted from Everyday Food

1 1/2 pounds of trimmed broccoli florets
1/2 fresh lime
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Place one inch of water in a large saucepan and place your steamer basket inside (these cost a couple of bucks at the discount stores, if you don’t have one). 

Bring the water to a full boil, add the broccoli and cover.

Steam until tender, but not mushy - about 7 minutes. 

Place broccoli in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Squeeze the lime juice over the broccoli and add some of the lime pulp, if desired.

Mix well, and serve hot.